title: The use of religious/spiritual coping among patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to investigate the use of religious/spiritual coping among people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study of 101 patients undergoing intravenous chemotherapy in an oncology outpatients center in a public hospital in Minas Gerais, made in the first semester of 2011. For data collection, an interview was held, using a questionnaire for characterizing the sample and the Brief Spiritual/Religious Coping Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  all subjects made use of religious/spiritual coping (mean=3.67; sd=0.37); the younger individuals, those with no religion and those who consider spiritual support unimportant tend to use coping negatively; individuals who would like to receive spiritual support and who participate in support groups for cancer patients, on the other hand, use coping positively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  the study reinforces that religious/spiritual coping is an important strategy for coping with cancer, and contributes to an understanding of the same as a useful tool for spiritual care.
authors.affiliation: Escola de Enfermagem de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Research Development, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Cláudia
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Mesquita
authors.forename: Érika de Cássia Lopes
authors.initials: Éde C
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Carolina Costa Valcanti
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Avelino
authors.forename: Denismar Alves
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Nogueira
authors.forename: Raquel Gerhke
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Panzini
authors.forename: Emilia Campos
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires